In 1905, a young Englishman on a survey crew in southern Alberta came to the place the First Nations People called "The Lakes Within". What young Bert Riggall saw was a broad valley parting the mount
In 1905, a young Englishman on a survey crew in southern Alberta came to the place the First Nations People called "The Lakes Within". What young Bert Riggall saw was a broad valley parting the mountains and three major lakes in succession cupped in stone. In his notebook he wrote: "Canada's Switzerland. I will take a homestead in this place."
Bert Riggall was a legendary guide and outfitter in the Waterton Lakes region of the Canadian Rockies in the early 1900's. He shared his deep love and knowledge of the area with his guests and neighbours. An outstanding photographer, Riggall captured the magnificent scenery from his saddle horse as he traversed the high country with his clients. Those photographs fuelled an emerging tourism industry and set in motion the conservation of the Greater Waterton region.
This book commemorates the lives of Bert Riggall and his family and celebrates the conservation initiatives at work in the Greater Waterton. It speaks to humanity's love of nature and our passion to protect it.
Beth Towe
has been a leader in the tourism industry for the Greater Waterton Area for many years.
View Biographical note
"Bert Riggall's Greater Waterton: A Conservation Legacy is a gorgeous, rich and insightful tribute to the raw beauty, indomitable power, human history and natural treasures of the Waterton area through the first half of the 20th century. . . With 311 pages jammed with Riggall's captivating black and white images, the hefty coffee table book includes a collection of essays by some of Alberta's finest writers. From the intro and biography chapters by Fred Stenson to essays by Sid Marty, Chris Morrison and Charlie Russell, the pages share images of the rugged life, homestead chores, hunting bounty and epic long-distance horseback rides down the valleys and over high rocky passes of the Waterton area."
— Rocky Mountain Outlook Magazine
"For those who enjoy photos of mountains, valleys, wildlife, along with a part of Canada that is nothing short of spectacular, this tribute to Bert Riggall has everything you would want in such a book. . . A coffee table classic.
RATING: 5 BOOKMARKS out of 5"
— Shelf Life magazine
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2018 Banff Mountain Book Competition Awards: Special Jury Mention.
"Bert Riggall's photographs from the first half of the 20th Century frame some fabulous writing about the people, terrain and history of the Greater Waterton Region. The images alone tell a fabulous story. Sid Marty's Mistakis-The Backbone of the Earth and Kevin van Tighem's God's Breath should be required reading for anyone who travels to southwest Alberta. This is a story of the origins of a regional conservation legacy that to this day strives to include the landscape, flora, fauna and people who live in this very special part of the world."
— 2018 Banff Mountain Book Competition Jury
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"Bert knew the wilderness from deep experience. He thought about the needs of wildlife at a scale larger than his own backyard. . . he anticipated the leading conservation thinking of today."
— Harvey Locke
"The 14,000 photographs he left now housed in museums and archives are a legacy people will study for generations."
— Fred Stenson
"In a frontier era, he was one of the first to see places like this as having meaning and significance far deeper than simply as collections of natural resources."
— Kevin Van Tighem
"Bert Riggall became a famous advocate for a region not well known to the wider world."
— Sid Marty
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Contents
Introduction—Fred Stenson
Bert Riggall: A Biography—Fred Stenson
Mistakis: The Backbone of the Earth—Sid Marty
This Place Waterton: The Early Days—Chris Morrison
Horses in the High Country—Wendy Ryan
The Next Generation: Bert Riggall and the Russells—Bruce Morrison
Doris Burton: Focus on "Babe"—Suzanne Lorinczi
A Sense of Place: Bert Riggall's Photography—Brittany Watson
Bert's Cameras—Don Bourdon
A Grandson's Perspective—Charlie Russell
Hawk?s Nest: A Conservation Legacy—Beth Towe
The Waterton Front: Nature Conservancy Canada—Larry Simpson
The Waterton Biosphere Reserve—An Overview from the Board
The Castle Parks—Dave Sheppard
A Blank Spot on the Map: The Flathead Valley of British Columbia—Harvey Locke
God's Breath—Kevin Van Tighem
The 2017 Kenow Wildfire
Sources and Endnotes
About the Authors
Acknowledgements
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